18 Questions
What part of the auditory system can be damaged resulting in nerve deafness?
Cochlea
What can result in nerve deafness?
Exposure to loud noises
Which term is used for frequent or constant ringing in the ears?
Tinnitus
What may lead to tinnitus according to the text?
Inner ear damage
What causes conductive deafness?
Impaired tympanic membrane
What is a common factor contributing to hearing problems in older people mentioned in the text?
Genetic predisposition
What structure in the inner ear is responsible for displacing hair cells when there are vibrations in the fluid of the cochlea?
Tectorial membrane
What part of the ear is affected in conductive deafness?
Middle ear
What is the main cause of nerve deafness according to the text?
Diseases or infections affecting the middle ear
How do people with conductive deafness hear their own voices even with impaired hearing from external sounds?
By vibrations transmitted through skull bones
In nerve deafness, what is responsible for stimulating the cells of the auditory nerve?
Hair cells
Which type of hearing loss can be corrected by surgery or hearing aids if it persists?
Conductive deafness
What is the function of the middle ear in the auditory system?
Amplifying sound vibrations
Which of the following is true about the tympanic membrane?
It vibrates to transmit sound waves to the inner ear
What would happen to an animal if the middle ear's three tiny bones were damaged?
Reduced ability to amplify sound vibrations
Which type of deafness is associated with issues in the transmission of sound waves through the middle ear?
Conductive deafness
How do hair cells in the inner ear contribute to hearing?
Converting sound waves into electrical signals
Why did early land animals only hear low-frequency sounds that were loud enough to vibrate their heads?
Because air vibrations were not well detected by water receptors
Study Notes
Types of Deafness
- Nerve deafness or inner ear deafness results from damage to the cochlea, the hair cells, or the auditory nerve.
- It can impair hearing of certain frequencies and not others if confined to one part of the cochlea.
- Nerve deafness can be inherited, caused by disease, or caused by exposure to loud noises.
Tinnitus
- Tinnitus is frequent or constant ringing in the ears.
- It can be due to a phenomenon similar to phantom limb, where damage to part of the cochlea is like an amputation.
- Axons representing other parts of the body may invade part of the brain area that usually responds to sounds, causing tinnitus.
The Ear and Hearing
- Sound waves pass through the auditory canal and enter the middle ear, a structure that evolved when ancient fish evolved into land animals.
- The middle ear amplifies sound vibrations to enable effective hearing on land.
- The structure of the middle ear and inner ear accomplish this amplification.
Middle Ear
- Sound waves vibrate the tympanic membrane, or eardrum, which connects to three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that transmit the vibrations to the oval window, a membrane of the inner ear.
- The vibrations of the tympanic membrane amplify into more forceful vibrations of the smaller stirrup, like a hydraulic pump.
Cochlea and Hair Cells
- The stirrup vibrates the oval window, setting into motion the fluid in the cochlea, a snail-shaped structure of the inner ear.
- The auditory receptors, known as hair cells, lie between the basilar membrane of the cochlea and the tectorial membrane.
- Vibrations in the fluid of the cochlea displace the hair cells, opening ion channels in its membrane, and stimulating the cells of the auditory nerve.
Conductive Deafness and Nerve Deafness
- Conductive deafness, or middle ear deafness, occurs when diseases, infections, or tumorous bone growth prevent the middle ear from transmitting sound waves properly to the cochlea.
- It can be temporary, and sometimes corrected by surgery or by hearing aids that amplify sounds.
- Nerve deafness, or inner ear deafness, occurs when there is damage to the cochlea, hair cells, or auditory nerve.
This quiz covers the anatomy and function of the middle ear components - malleus, incus, stapes, and the cochlea. Learn how the vibrations of the stirrup affect the fluid in the cochlea and stimulate the hair cells, leading to auditory perception.
Make Your Own Quizzes and Flashcards
Convert your notes into interactive study material.
Get started for free
